"The United States has
foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15
years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our
leaders as fools," Trump said in his first tweet of 2018.

"They give safe haven
to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!"

The US president's tweet
came in the aftermath of an increasingly terse back-and-forth between
Washington and Islamabad since Trump announced his administration's latest
national-security strategy in last August.

During the announcement,
the US president had been quick to remind Pakistan of its 'obligation' to help
America "because it receives massive payments" from Washington every
year.

- Advertisement -

"We have made clear to
Pakistan that while we desire continued partnership, we must see decisive
action against terrorist groups operating on their territory. And we make
massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help," the US president
had said.

A Pentagon report to the US
Congress, released to the media on Dec 17, had said Washington would also take
'unilateral steps' in areas of divergence with Pakistan while expanding
cooperation between the two countries where their interests converge.

Subsequently, US Vice
President Mike Pence had, in a surprise visit to Afghanistan's Bagram airbase
on Dec 22, warned that Trump has "put Pakistan on notice" in what was
the harshest US warning to Islamabad since the beginning of the Afghan war over
16 years ago.

US
ambassador in Islamabad summoned over Trump's tweet

US ambassador David Hale was summoned on Monday by The Foreign
Office (FO) over US President Donald Trump's tweet.

The News quoted informed sources
as saying that Hale was summoned to lodge protest against Trump's
unfounded allegations on Pakistan. Though Pakistan has rendered countless
sacrifices to eradicate the menace of terrorism, yet the US president alleged in
his tweet that Pakistan has given nothing except for "lies and deceit" in
return for the aid the US provided Pakistan during 15 years, the paper added.

- Advertisement -

Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, in
response to Trump's tweet, said that Pakistan has already refused to 'do more'
for the United States.

PM
calls cabinet, NSC meeting to discuss Trump's statement

The
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned the emergency
federal cabinet and the national Security Committee (NSC) meeting on
Wednesday to evolve the the strategy in wake of Trump's latest
statement.

Author and journalist.
Author of
Islamic Pakistan: Illusions & Reality;
Islam in the Post-Cold War Era;
Islam & Modernism;
Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America.
Currently working as free lance journalist.
Executive Editor of American (more...)